Gerechtshof - Paleis van Margareta van Oostenrijk

Margaret of Austria was governor of the Habsburg Netherlands between 1507 and 1530. Her residential palace was the first Renaissance building in the Netherlands. In her way, Margareta avoided the lack of rights for women. After the death of her great love Philibert de Savoye, the then twenty-four-year-old Margareta dressed as a widow and refused to be married off again. According to her contemporaries, she ruled the country with tact and a clear view. One of her greatest successes is the Women's Peace of Kamerrijk in 1529. In the meantime, she takes care of the education of (Emperor) Charles and his sisters. From 1616 to 1796, the palace was occupied by the Great Council, the highest court in the Southern Netherlands. Even now the building serves as a court of justice.